Faith Morgan is content with her new path in life, working as a vicar in the small town of Little Worthy. Gone are the days of working on the police force, dealing with the harsher realities of life, even if she does find herself thinking about Detective Ben Shorter, her ex, a little too much. With a big anniversary for the church coming up, Faith has her hands full with the town celebrations and booklets to be organised. But when an artist commissioned to do a painting for the festivities, is found strangled in her painting hut, Faiths previous skills are much needed. Suspecting her parishioners does not sit well with Faith, but it stands to reason that the murderer may be someone that she knows. Could it be Pat, the church warden, who never approved of the victim? Or Gavin, who owns the local B&B where the victim had been staying? With numerous suspects, Faith finds herself drawn into the mystery, and Bens company again. With family issues, a murderer on the loose, and numerous parish problems popping up out of the blue, will Faith be able to figure out the truth in time?

A SAINTLY KILLING by Martha Ockley is an entertaining mystery, with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. As we get to know the inhabitants of the small town, there are plenty of twists and turns, to keep the plot moving and capture the readers attention. It is my kind of novel, as it does not contain any graphic, violent scenes, and focuses more on the mystery element of the drama. All in all I enjoyed A SAINTLY KILLING by Martha Ockley and will read more from this author in the future.

Book Summary

Faith Morgan is feeling settled and contented in her role as the vicar of Little Worthy. St James's is about to reach its 900th anniversary and to celebrate Faith has commissioned a new painting of the church from distinguished local artist Sal Hinkley.

However, Sal, recently returned from Australia, is not a universally popular choice: outspoken and opinionated, she has made her share of enemies.

Before the painting can be completed, Sal is found dead at her easel. Suddenly, several respectable members of the church community are under suspicion and Faith finds herself thrown into the path of her former flame, Detective Inspector Ben Shorter, who, though he has no time for God-botherers, still seems to have time for Faith…